Pheasant pastilla

I love Moroccan flavours and this dish is an interesting one from the flavour combination perspective. It's a mix of sweet and savoury which works well with the gamey flavour of pheasant and would also work well with guinea fowl. Traditionally it's made with pigeon, but I decided to go for a stronger flavour with pheasant which marries well with the sweet element of the dates.

For the pheasant braise2 pheasant legs2 onions finely chopped2 Garlic cloves finely chopped2g dried ginger5 strands of saffron2cm piece of cinnamon6 dates roughly chopped200ml chicken stockSalt and pepper to tasteoil for fryingTo finish1 egg beaten70g almonds whizzed in a food processor until they form a rough powderFilo pastryMelted butter around 150gIn a cast iron pan, fry off the onions and garlic on a low heat until soft and glossyAdd the rest of the ingredients for the braise and simmer for 50 minutes on a low heat until the meat starts to come away from the bones easilyRemove the pheasant and place to one side to coolReduce the stock on a high heat until it has reached about half it's volume, lower the heat and add the almonds to thicken the mixOnce the stock mix has cooled slightly, add the beaten egg and stir throughRemove the meat from the bones on the pheasant legs, break into small pieces and stir through the stock mixSeason with salt and pepper and place to one side to coolTo assemble the pieBrush the sheets of filo with butter to stop then from drying outIn a shallow pie dish start to layer the filo so it covers the bottom of the dish and overlaps over the side, this will take 2 or three sheetsAdd the meat and stock mix to the pie dish and ensure there it is layered evenlyFold over the overlapping filo ensuring it covers the topIf the top is not quite covered add another sheet of buttered filoPlace in the oven at 190c (fan) 200c (normal) for 40 minutes until the pastry is nice and brownFor those of you cooking on the BBQ, set the BBQ up for indirect cooking at 200c and cook as instructed above